URL Shortener

A URL shortener is a service that takes a long URL — say, an affiliate link with 200 characters of tracking parameters — and turns it into a short, clean link like promolinks.net/r/abc123. When someone clicks, they are redirected to the original destination.

Why shorten? 1) Aesthetics — long links look spammy in social posts and emails. 2) Tracking — the shortener logs every click. 3) Flexibility — you can change the destination without re-sharing the link. 4) Branding — even though X and Bluesky auto-shorten URLs internally, a branded short link signals legitimacy.

Notable providers: Bitly (the incumbent, paid plans get expensive), TinyURL (long history, very basic), Rebrandly (mid-market), and promolinks.net (US/EU hosting, GDPR-ready, generous free tier).